The Bargain
by CapriciousHorseRider
Summary: *INCLUDES SPOILERS FOR SEASON 5* Everyone has nearly accepted the fact that Gwaine is dead. But when he suddenly returns to Camelot with a girl accused of sorcery, which decision will Gwen make when they offer to bring her king back from the dead? Previously titled 'Gwaine's Retun'
1. Chapter 1

The last thing he saw was Percival, his loyal friend, as Gwaine lay in his arms. He had failed Arthur. But maybe it wasn't his fate to kill Morgana.

These were his last thoughts, before he passed out into total darkness.

As he very faintly felt a hand touch his cheek, he thought: Am I not dead?

''Taurean? Is that you?'' a young woman's voice asked, but he didn't recognize it.

''You must fight it! Use all your strength, available at the moment or not.

Right now you cannot see me, but you must trust me. If you can use your strength, your greatest power, I can bring you back with its help,'' she continued, her voice as smooth as silk.

Gwaine didn't know who the heck Taurean was, but he so desperately wanted his life back that he didn't care if he wasn't.

He felt a searing pain swimming throughout his whole body. The mere fact that it would be over because he could fight it kept him from falling back. Suddenly he felt a massive weight on his chest, making it difficult to breathe.

It felt as if something was pushing his body down, and he had to push it back up again. This was definitely physical pain, something he was used to. If the pain had been mental, Gwaine didn't know if he could survive it. The woman had said that strength was Taurean's greatest power, and it was Gwaine's too. He remembered when he had gone to the Fisher King's kingdom and the guardian of the bridge they had crossed had said that Arthur was courage and needed strength and magic.

Gwaine was strength, but he couldn't remember who magic was.

Gwaine thought of Percival, and Arthur, and Merlin, and that they needed him, and though the pain was almost unbearable, Gwaine pushed forcefully upwards.

It was like he was in combat with an enemy that he couldn't see or hear, but could feel. Those hours of blindfolded sword fighting training had been very useful in this situation.

After what felt like enduring hours of physical pain, the force pusing him down loosened and the massive weight on his chest lifted. Gwaine opened his eyes and saw a wooden ceiling appear. He was in a bed in a dimly lit room. There was a chair next to the bed, and a table in one corner of the room, a candle on the floor in the other. There were paintings on the wall, very beautiful ones, of flowers and landscapes.

''Hello? Who paints stuff like this?'' he called humorously.

''I do.'' A woman entered the room. Her hair was light, her skin was pale, she had blue eyes. Eira.

No, it couldn't be, she had been executed for working for Morgana. Gwaine remembered the times he had been with her. She had only used him to get information that she could feed to Morgana. Eira had broken Gwaine's heart, only pretending to love him.

''Please don't react too quickly,'' she said.

''You pretended to love me and broke my heart,'' Gwaine replied.

''I am so sorry! Morgana realised that I had feelings for you, and then she used a Fomorroh to control me,'' Eira explained desperately.

''So you did love me?'' Gwaine asked, as this was the only question he could ask, in shock.

''Yes. I loved you with all my heart, from the moment I met you in my old village.

It was right after that, that Morgana promised me to bring my family back if I got some information from Camelot. I was so foolish to be tricked, but I hadn't quite gotten over that my family was dead, and I wanted them back.''

''I'm so sorry for what happened to your family. Morgana can trick you into all sorts of things, don't worry about that,'' he said, trying to comfort her.

''After our first real time that we spent together and you gave me some information that I reported to Morgana, she saw that I was in love. The stupid snakes took control over my feelings for you, and well, they disappeared when I was being executed.''

''But how did you not die? Everyone watched as you were executed,'' he asked because this was something that he really wanted to know.

''Please do not tell anyone. You can't or I'll really be executed. There are a few people that are born with a gift, a gift to bring people back to life or heal them.

Do you remember when you were working in a cave, Morgana's prisoners, and a creature called the Euchdag approached you and healed you?'' Eira asked, and looke Gwaine in the eyes.

''Yes, she was very kind to me,'' Gwaine replied.

''She was the last of her kind, and before she died, she visited a few very special people that meant a lot to her. One of those people was my mother. The Euchdag was giving out gifts to these people, a little bit of her powers. When she saw that my mother was expecting me, she decided to give some of her powers to me. When I was born, I had the ability to bring people back to life, and to heal their fatal wounds. Right after my body died, my mind left my body, and summoned it after it had been carried away. The people can only do this once, as they shall only have to once.

Then, I ran away from Camelot and came to this house. I was so scared that they'd find me and execute me again, this time when I couldn't save myself.


	2. Chapter 2

''But you could save me.'' Gwaine said. ''So who is Taurean?'' he asked, remembering the name Eira had said when she had saved him.

''Taurean means 'bull'. It represents strength. That is your greatest skill, Gwaine. Everyone has a magical name they do not know about. Yours is Taurean. I called you that because my powers recognized you as Taurean, not as I know you as Gwaine.''

''So what's your magical name?'' Gwaine asked her.

''You'll just have to find out,'' Eira said and smiled a playful smile. It reminded him of the smile Morgana used to smile when she was speaking to Arthur, before she turned bad.

''So who's room is this?'' he asked.

''It's mine,'' Eira said and smiled that irresistible smile, and Gwaine couldn't help but smile back.

''So you paint? We never quite got to know each other's hobbies because you were executed so fast,'' Gwaine said cheekily.

Eira laughed and Gwaine realized that that was the first time he had seen her laugh since their first kiss in Camelot.

''Yes, I've found that recently I have been missing you and painting seemed like an efficient way to express myself. I painted you...'' she said.

''Can I see it? Or do I look too terrible to look at?'' Gwaine said and smiled.

''Yes of course, it's behind this screen so no one would see it and ask who it is.'' Eira walked in a happier way now and she held up her purple dress so she wouldn't trip over it like she used to do in Camelot. Gwaine decided that looking at her like he had never seen her before might freak her out a bit, so he looked at his portrait that she held instead.

''Do you like it?'' she asked, and sat down on the bed next to him.

''It's...it's magnificent, it looks just like me... I think,'' he said humorously.

''Well you look very handsome in the portrait. And in real life too,'' she said, put her face closer to his and looked into his eyes. Gwaine did not ignore this, and leaned in to kiss her for what felt like the first time in forever.

Eira couldn't go outside into town, because people might recognize her from the execution. Gwaine couldn't either, because most people knew that he had been killed ny Morgana, and he was quite popular with the tavern owners. So they decided to have some of the food that Eira had bought from a street vendor from another town that wouldn't recognize her.

They ate dinner together and got to know even more about each other.

Gwaine wanted to go out to the tavern to celebrate that they were alive, and together, but Eira didn't want to take the risk.

''Gwaine have you ever worn a dress?'' she asked and smiled.

''No, of course not, why would I have worn a dress?'' he answered.

''Because I have an idea,'' she said.

''Oh no, I'm not going to like this am I?'' he said.

''You'll be fine, you would make a great girl,'' she teased. ''But the plan is that _you_ dress up as another man, and _I _wear the dress.

''Oh good. I think you'll look better in a dress,'' he said and moved closer to her and took her hand.

Eira held his hand, and just as he was about to kiss her, she moved away and said ''I love you, but no time for that now, we need to get ready.''

Gwaine stood there for a few moments, he hadn't quite got to know this unpredictable side of her yet.

Eira was already by the chest that stood in the corner with some old clothes that the person who lived in the house before her had left.

''Maybe I could wear this?'' she said and held up a grey dress.

''It's simple, but it is good if it looks casual and not very fancy. You don't want to attract too much attention,'' Gwaine said.

Eira made a gesture for him to pick some clothes out and went behind the screen to change. Gwaine chose some old, worn-out trousers and picked up a brown shirt that looked like someone had spilled something on. Eira peeked out from behind the screen and said, ''Are you really going to wear _that_?''.

''I hope not, it looks like someone didn't make it to the toilet in time,'' he responded and laughed. Eira laughed too, and pointed to another gray shirt in the chest. ''We'll match,'' she said. Gwaine pulled his shirt over his head, grabbed the gray shirt and walked over to the window. ''I don't think it's a good idea to stand in front of the window shirtless, women are very easily attracted to me,'' Gwaine said with a smile and looked back at Eira. She came out from behind the screen, ''I don't think anyone is, you're supposed to be dead. And your shoulders are very stiff,'' she said.

''You're attracted to me.'' he said as Eira came closer and rubbed his tense shoulders.

''Let's go.'' she said and Gwaine put the gray shirt on.

**A/N: Thanks for reading my fanfic, sometimes I might update whole paragraphs, and sometimes only small sentences since I am very busy right now and don't have a lot of time to write. I'll try to get more time over the summer to continue!**


	3. Chapter 3

Eira and Gwaine walked hand in hand to The Rising Sun, and Eira had drawn a strange looking moustache on Gwaine, and they both looked almost unrecognizable.

They went into the tavern and looked around for someone they recognized. Men and women were everywhere, talking by a table, some standing on tables, and there was one man sitting in the corner that looked utterly depressed. That man, Gwaine thought he knew him from somewhere. ''MERLIN!'' he shouted. The whole tavern became silent and looked at him with angry and curious glares. Merlin looked up, looked down again, but then looked back up. Gwaine ran forward, grabbed Merlin, and ran out of the tavern. ''No need to worry folks,'' Eira smiled nervously and ran outside after them. They hugged, while Merlin stood there, breathless. ''Gwaine? Is that you? No, it can't be, you're dead. Percie told us. Haha, I think I'm dreaming,'' Merlin slurred. ''Percie? He's drunk.'' Eira said. ''We need to get him home, come on Gwaine, we can celebrate later,'' she said quickly.

Gwaine and Eira helped Merlin back to the little house and put him down on Eira's bed. ''He can stay here until tomorrow, when he'll hopefully be better. But where will I sleep?'' Gwaine asked. ''On the floor. With me,'' Eira replied like it was the most obvious thing ever. ''In that case, I don't mind,'' Gwaine said and smiled. He yanked some blankets and a pillow off the bed which Merlin, sound asleep and snoring, was on and put them on the floor. He took his boots off and put them at the end of the blankets like a footrest. He took off his jacket and Eira took off her cloak and used them to make their bed on the floor more comfortable. ''You don't mind if I sleep without my shirt, do you?'' Gwaine asked Eira. ''No, of course not,'' she answered. She blew out the candle, put another blanket on Merlin, and lay down next to Gwaine. he put his arm around her, and after a while, they both fell asleep.

**A/N: Thanks for reading my fanfic, sometimes I might update whole paragraphs, and sometimes only small sentences since I am very busy right now and don't have a lot of time to write. I'll try to get more time over the summer to continue!**


	4. Chapter 4

Gwaine opened his eyes, slowly letting the morning light in. ''Where am I again?'' he quielty asked himself, and then remembered, he was in Eira's house. Last night's memories came to him, and he looked up at the bed in which Merlin still slept.

He turned around and saw Eira looking at him.

''Have you fallen in love with me yet?'' he asked.

''No,'' she answered and blushed.

''Really? Must have been hard.''

She laughed and Gwaine put his arm around her, but instead of wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him, she removed his arm.

''Not happening,'' she said, smirking.

'' But- but - but...'' Gwaine spluttered.

She swaggered out the room, leaving a bewildered Gwaine still on the floor.

Gwaine looked up at Merlin to see if he had woken up.

''Gwaine? Is that you? What happened?'' Merlin asked.

''We found you at the tavern last night. You were drunk. And depressed,'' Gwaine replied.

''Wait wait wait, who's we?'' Merlin asked.

''Me and Eira,'' Gwaine answered softly.

''What? Wait how are you even alive? How is she even alive? How am I even alive?'' Merlin said, and it was obvious that he was very confused.

''Eira? Can I tell him why we're alive?''

''Of course you can, sugar-pie. Tell him how a magical creature that once healed you gave some of her powers to my mother when she was pregnant with me, and how I brought myself back after I was executed and how I brought you back with the help of my powers and your strength and your magical name Taurean. I'm sure he'd understand,'' Eira said and smiled sarcastically as she walked back into the room.

''Eira, you don't have to speak to him like he's an idiot, he can hear you, you know,'' Gwaine said.

''Gwaine, I left some food in the other room for you, I think you should go have it now and I'll tend to Merlin.'' Eira ordered.

Gwaine walked stubbornly into the other room without a word.

Eira approached Merlin and put a cold water-soaked cloth on his forehead.

''Eira, I do understand. There's something I need to tell you, something that Gwaine doesn't know.'' Merlin said slowly.

''Tell me then,'' Eira said.

''I have magic,'' Merlin said and looked Eira in the eyes.

''But...you kept it a secret from everyone these past years?'' she asked, shocked to have one of her own kind so close to her.

''I lived in a kingdom where magic was forbidden with Uther Pendragon. Of course I kept it a secret, only the physician knew. What about you? I saw how upset Gwaine was when you betrayed him and were executed.'' said Merlin.

''Well as I said before, I have powers to heal others from fatal wounds and to bring myself back to life. I brought Gwaine back after I healed myself. I didn't betray him, well, at least I wasn't conscious. Morgana saw how close I was to Gwaine, and used a Fomorroh to control me.'' Eira explained.

''I've been controlled through a Fomorroh by Morgana too, I know how terrible it is. Morgana tried to make me kill Arthur. Fortunately, Guinevere and the physician Gaius noticed my strange behaviour and stopped me.''

''What happened to Morgana?''Eira asked him.

''I killed her,'' Merlin said sadly. He stared at nothing for a while, not saying anything.

''You loved her,'' Eira realized.

''I don't want to talk about it. Re-open old wounds.


End file.
